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Stronghold 2nd Edition Review

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Stronghold 2nd Edition is a game based on the story of a siege. It has a medieval setting and requires two opposing sides. One player is the invader who attacks the fortress, and the other is the defender who defends the fortress. It only takes about ninety minutes to play the game.

The defender has to make sure the invader does not break into the castle. The invader has a large number of attacking creatures, whereas the defender has a few soldiers. Invaders can use black magic or war machines to achieve victory. The fight gets aggressive every single time. If the invader enters the castle before the end of seven rounds, they win, but if they do not, the defender wins.

Action Cards

The setup of the game is quite simple. The invader’s setup includes unit placement, whereas the defender’s setup consists of placing the units on the spaces at the beginning. There are action cards involved in the game, and the invader decides which action cards should be played and what resources the defender can get. Every action card has a different power like some give the ability to prepare spells, while some allow you to train your soldiers or prepare siege machines.

Meanwhile, defenders have their own actions to perform. They can move the desired units around the fortress, prepare a defense mechanism, train their troops, prepare traps or cause a fault in the siege weapons. At the end, invaders attack and defenders try their best to defend the fortress. When all the moves are made, the decision is made for who won the battle. The invader wins if they still have enough strength left to attack the defender’s forces on a specific wall section. The defender wins if the invader fails to breach any wall section till the end of the seventh round.

Intriguing Play

The actions of the invader and defender perfectly match the style and story of Stronghold. The dramatic turn of the assault could have been high, but it remains moderate because of the limited unit power. As compared to the defenders, most of the avenues and literals are available to the invaders.

The defensive track is simple; the invader decides where the attack will happen, and this makes it more of a guessing game for the defender. The main functions of the games can be explored by repeated play.

Product Specifications

A large double-sided sheet is the board

Wood components

Meeples are the defender’s soldiers

Two discs in red and green colors represent heroes

2-player game

Ten cards each for the invader and defender

Customer Reviews and Conclusion

Players loved the theme and artwork of the game. For many, it was fun to play. People preferred playing as invaders rather than defenders because doing nasty stuff as an invader is more thrilling.

Stronghold is a great two-player game with a perspective that is extremely engaging. However, the company should revise its rule book as the rules are a bit underexplained and confusing.